Journal box packing



y 1960 R. J. HARKENRIDER 2,936,198

JOURNAL BOX PACKING Filed Nov. 28, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 1 INVENTOR.

' BY Ma, $402011 9 W24 May 10, 1960 R. J. HARKENRIDER 2,936,193

JOURNAL BOX PACKING Filed Nov. 28, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 2 INVENTOR.

BY Wiwm fi/am9' Wm May 10, 1960 R. .1. HARKENRIDER JOURNAL BOX PACKING 6 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed Nov. 28, 1956 INVENTOR.

May 10, 1960 Filed Nov. 28, 1956 l/ 7 //W777/7-7 /A R. J. HARKENRIDER JOURNAL BOX PACKING 6 Sheets-Sheet 4 1960 R. J. HARKENRIDER 2,936,198

JOURNAL BOX PACKING Filed Nov. 28, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 5 INVEN TOR. Md? w, @MmYW ma y 1960 'R. .J. HARKENRIDER 2,936,198

JOURNAL BOX PACKING Filed Nov. 28, 1956 6 Sheets-Sheet 6 IN V EN TOR.

M WWM United States Patent JOURNAL BOX PACKING Robert J. Harkenrider, Winona, Minn., assignor, by direct and mesne assignments, to Miller Lubricator Company, Winona, Minn., a corporation of Minnesota Application November 28, 1956, Serial No. 624,942

15 Claims. (Cl. 308-88) My invention relates to a journal box packing for railroad freight cars and the like, and more particularly, to a capillary type packing in package for-m particularly adapted for use in journal boxes of rail vehicles employing friction bearings for supplying lubricant to the journal.

Tests and experience have shown that a practical journal box packing must have a number of important characteristics if it is to be accepted for unlimited interchange service.

For instance, and perhaps most important, the packing must provide maximum lubrication while at the same time be so constructed that fibers and other hotbox causing matter are not applied to the journal.

Another requirement is that the packing should be designed to eliminate, or reduce to a minimum, loss of lubricant from the journal box during operation of the vehicle. In most railroad freight cars, the loss of lubricant occurs most frequently when the vehicle rounds a curve during which time the lubricant tends to drain over the concavely notched rear wall of the journal box due to the tilt of the box resulting from the grade of the railroad curve.

A further and very important requirement is that the design of the packing should be such that it may be installed without jacking the box.

Apart from the lubricating characteristics, the packing should be arranged to lend itself to reclamation procedures, and yet be sufficiently physically stable so that when once in lubricating position, rolling and shifting are precluded.

The principal object of my invention is to provide a packing that combines and improves on all of these characteristics or requirements, as well as others that experience has taught are desirable or are essential.

Another principal object of the invention is to provide a journal box packing that substantially augments the lubricant film applied to the journal due to the capillary action of the lubricator by catching and feeding back to the journal much of the excess lubricant that drips or is thrown from it.

A further principal object of the invention is to provide a journal box packing in which the pressure required to hold the capillary material thereof against the journal is reduced to an absolute minimum.

Still a further principal object of the invention is to provide a journal box packing in which the capillary feed path is reduced to minimum length.

Another object of the invention is to provide a journal box packing which insures that box packers will install it in its correct position, and not upside down or backwards.

Yet a further object of the invention is to provide a 2,936,198 Patented May 10, 1960 ice Other uses, objects, and advantages will be obvious or become apparent from a consideration of the following description and the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a transverse cross sectional view through familiar parts of a railway car journal and journal box, showing same equipped with one embodiment of the packing of the present invention;

Fig. 2 is a longitudinal cross sectional view through the journal, journal box, and packing package illustrated in Fig. 1; i

Fig. 3 is a top plan view of the articulated shell employed in the lubricator shown in Figs. 1 and 2;

Fig. 4 is a side elevational view of the shell illustrated in Fig. 3;

Fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of the various elements forming the package of Figs. 1 and 2, viewed from the front end thereof;

Fig. 5a illustrates a modified form of packing blanket;

Fig. 6 is a view similar to that of Fig. 2, illustrating the manner in which the lubricator of Figs. 1 through 5 is installed in the journal box;

Fig. 7 is a fragmental transverse cross sectional view similar to the showing of Fig. 1 but illustrating on a larger scale the right hand portion of the packing applicator surface that is in contact with the journal;

Fig. 8 is a plan view of a lubricant backfiow obstructing element that forms a part of the packing applicator of Figs. 1 through 7;

Fig. 9 is a view similar to that of Fig. 7 illustrating a waste blanket applicator of the type described in my Patent No. 2,762,667, employed in place of the applica tor used in the embodiment of Figs. 1 through 8;

Fig. 10 is a view similar to that of Fig. 1 illustrating a further modified form of journal box packing;

Fig. 11 is a view similar to that of Figs. 7 and 9, illus trating a further form of applicator and lubricant backfiow obstructing element;

Fig. 12 is a plan view of the upper surface of the lubricant backfiow obstructing element illustrated in Fig. 10;

Fig. 13 is an enlarged, diagrammatic plan view of a portion of the piled capillary material employed in the embodiment of Figs. 1 through 8;

Fig. 14 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view through a portion of the capillary material employed in the embodiment of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 8, adjacent the pile thereof;

Fig. 15 is a diagrammatic plan view of a portion of the pile shown in Fig. 14;

Fig. 16 is a view similar to that of Fig. 14, but illustrates a modification of this embodiment of the invention;

Fig. 17 is a diagrammatic cross sectional view approximately along line 17-17 of Fig. 16;

Fig. 18 is a view similar to that of Figs. 7, 9, and 12, but illustrating a further modified form of the invention shown in Figs. 1 through 8; and

Fig. 19 is a diagrammatic plan view illustrating a new capillary fabric that is particularly adapted for use in the package shown in Figs. 1 through 12.

Referring now more particularly to Figs. 1 and 2 of the drawings, reference numeral 10 generally indicates a conventional journal box on a conventional axle journal 11, with a packing or lubricator in accordance with my invention, generally indicated by reference numeral 12, in place between the lower portion of the journal and the bottom 13 of the journal box and what is commonly referred to as the oil or lubricant cellar of the journal box.

. The package 12 of Figs. 1 through 8 comprises generally (see Fig. 5) an upwardly opening articulated shell 14. formed of rubber orrubber like material, a pair of resilient pads 16 that rest in shell 14 on either side of the longitudinally extending axis thereof, and a pair of laminated capillary blankets or sheets 18 having piled applicator surfaces 19.,and. overlying cores 16 and secured at their ends to the shell 14. These elements and modifications thereof are more specifically described hereinafter.

The articulated shell The articulated shell 14 forming a part of packing 12 is more particularly illustrated in Figs. 3 through 6. As shown in these figures, the shell 14 generally comprises a plurality of compartmentized sections 20 articulated along the upper rim 22 on both sides of the shell. Each of the sections 20 is formed with a pair of spaced apart upstanding centrally disposed flanges 24 positioned on either side of a central opening 26, and inwardly projecting flanges 28 associated with the section side walls and positioned adjacent the upper rim of the shell. Each of the sections 20 is also provided with a front wall 30 and a rear wall 32 which form the separate sections 20 into compartment like structures. The wall 30 of the outermost section 20 is given a gradual upwardly curved configuration to generally conform to the outer Wall 34 ofthe journal box 10, as shown in Fig. 2. This wall 30 has mounted therein in spaced apart relation a pair of grommets or hollow rivets 36 for receiving the hook of the conventional packers tool to withdraw the packing from the journal box.

The rear wall 32 of the rearmost section 20 is formed with one or more accordion pleats 38 (only one is shown inthe illustrated embodiment), and preferably, a sponge rubber strip 40 is bonded to the rear surface of this wall 32 to act as a seal between the packing 12 and the rear wall of the journal box.

Preferably, the shell 14, with the exception of the strip 40, is integrally formed from a rubber like material such as the synthetic rubber Hycar 1043 manufactured by the B. F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio. This material is a copolymerized butadiene and acrylonitrile compound having a medium grade of acrylonitrile content-and av reduced carbon black content. Another, suitable compound would be the material known as Paracril 3 made by Naugatuck Chemical Division of US. Rubber Company, Naugatuck, Connecticut. The articulation of the sections 20 may be made by embedding, for instance, a nylon cord 42 along the preferably continuous upper rim 22 of each side of the shell. Other suitablearticulating means may be employed in place of the nylon cord, for instance, a bronze wire.

7 Referringto Fig. 2, it will be noted that the shell 14 extends between the front wall 34 of the journal box and the-rear wall 46 that is defined by lips 48. Preferably, the; shell is as long as possible. Also, the pleatedrear wall of the rearmost compartment or section 20 should behigh enough so that its top 47 will stand up above the tops of lips 48 as high as possible and preferably at least inch, with the result that this rear wall together with sealing strip 40 will act as a dam for blocking the flow of lubricant oil over the lips 48 when the railroad car rounds a curve. In this respect, it may be pointed out that the conventional fiberboard or wood dust guard 50 is not an effective seal against lubricant loss on the curves.

The resilient cores The resilient cores 16 comprise a pair of appropriately dimensioned multitubular bodies or pads 55, each of which is composed mainly of a stack of like parallel tubes 42 wherein each tube has a wall portion 43 in common with other tubes 42 and integral with them at adjoining corners 44. The pads may be conveniently made by extruding them in one piece, whereby the core structure is entirely integral and the distribution of the material makes it-possible to have an extremely light, springy element, with a strong resistance to deforming under pressure and a high recovery upon release, even after being compressed for a long time under adverse temperature conditions.

The pads 55 are preferably made of synthetic rubber of a type similar to that from which shell 14 is made, and may be produced according to the teachings of my application Serial No. 418,442, filed March 24, 1954; said application also discloses suitable materials for making the pads. The disclosure of said application is hereby incorporated by reference in the interests of brevity.

A. particular advantage of the pads 55 is that the longitudinally extending tubes provide a considerable amount of columnar rigidity which insures that the product will not bulge in the middle when pressed at its ends. This is an important feature since the space between the front wall of the journal box and the flange of the journal is relatively small as indicated in Fig. 2. It will also be noted that the thickness of the tube walls is many times, less than the width of the tubes that the walls define, which provides a resilient product that may be compressed to a small fraction of its unstressed thickness, for, instance, of its size, without permanent deformation, another important feature of the core.

The cores 55 preferably extend from the front surface 60 of rearmost section 20, wall 32 to just short of journal flange. 61 (see Fig. 2). Both cores should be slotted where and to approximately the extent indicated at 64 in Figs. 2 and 5 to receive the section walls 30 and 32 over which they are positioned so that the cores will rest on the floor of shell 14 and yet permit the articulation of the shell 14. indicated in Fig. 6. Also, the rear ends of the cores should be slotted as at 66 (see Fig. 2) so as to avoid interference with the accordion pleat 38. 7 While pads illustrated in Figs. 1 through 8 are a preferred form of core, similarly shaped pads of sponge rubber, natural hair, or fiber glass would also be satisfactory, as would metallic springs of the type shown, for instance, in Fig. 12 and described more particularly hereinafter.

Capillary blanket The; blankets 18 are more particularly illustrated in Figs. 5,7, 8, l3, and 14. The blanket material therein illustrated comprises a capillary layer 76 bonded to a layer 72 oflubricant resistant material having a particular significance in accordance with the principles of my present invention. The capillary material may be formed in several ways, such as is shown in Figs. 13 and 14. As therein illustrated, the. layers 70 comprise an elongate strip or sheet74 having a plain basket Weave and having, interwoven in the basket weave elongate strands. or yarns of high capillary action material. The warp and woof threads 76 and.78 form the plain basket weave While the elongate strands or yarns 80 may comprise a uniform blend of percent Vicara, Code 500, bright, unbleached, 3 denier, with the fibers approximately three inches long, and 15 percent wool, 64s quality AA type. A suitable antistatic finish, such as that sold under the trademark Avcosol 104 made by the American Viscose Corporation of Marcus Hook, Pennsylvania, plus a small amount of Zelec NE, made by E. I. du Pont de Nemours and 'Co., of Wilmington, Delaware, should be applied to the fibers when spinning. The yarn is preferablyspun on the woolen system and in the illustrated embodiment, the fiber specified may be spun into two-ply 17 cut yarn with a yarn twist of 9 /3 turns per inch, direction in the singles, 5% turns per inch, 2 direction in the plied yarn. The fiber composition and yarn twist of strands or yarns 64 is as specified in the application of myself and Louis R. Mizell and Julian Berch, Serial No; 533,126, filed September 8, 1955, the disclosure of which ishereby incorporated in interests of brevity.

As shown in Fig. 13, the individual yarns-or strands 80 are separated by two warp threads 76, and each yarn or strand 80 passes under every sixth woof thread 78, the relatively long reaches 82 of the individual strands or yarns 80 being positioned on the side of the strip 74 that faces the journal. Also, the woof threads 78 that adjacent yarns or strands 80 pass under are not the same, as seen in Fig. 13, wherein the adjacent strands 80 pass under woof threads 78 that are spaced from each other by two woof threads 78. Preferably, this arrangement starts at one side of the strip 74 and the woof threads that the next adjacent yarns 80 pass under are every third woof thread moving upwardly.

This arrangement eliminates much of the unnecessary bending and bindingof the high lift material that chokes off the lubricant.

As shown in Figs. 14 and 15, the elongate strands 80 form the piled applicator surface 19 of capillary material, and are passed under identical alternate woof threads 78b and over identical alternate woof threads 780 to form rows 84 of closely spaced loops 86. Preferably, each strand 80 extends all the wall across the applicator surface 19 of the capillary material. The twist of the plied strands 80 and the adjacent positioning of the loops 86 tends to nest the loops 86 of each row 84 together, and the rows 84 are positioned generally parallel to the axis of the journal. In practice, the rows 84 are closely spaced together, as are the loops 86 of each row, and provide a firm carpet-type layer that withstands an unusual amount of pressure applied against it without fiattenin-g. It should be understood that the spacing indicated in the drawings is for clarity of illustration only.

While the capillary material in its form shown in Figs.

l3, l4, and 15 provides satisfactory lubrication, I prefer to insert additional strands 88 of coarse fibrous material in the piled surface of the lubricator between the point 90 of Fig. 1 and the upper end of the capillary material. As shown in Fig. 17, this coarse material is interwoven with the warp and woof threads 76 and 78. This material may comprise wool yarns or yarns of a similar grade of coarseness which have non-glazing and good lubricant application characteristics. Furthermore, relatively tight stitching 94 may be applied between rows 84 of the capillary material applicator surface, as indicated in Fig. 18, across the upper portion of the applicator surface 19 that is to come in contact with the journal. This tends to prevent rapid drain back of excess lubricant to the journal box lubricant reservoir during periods of idleness.

The capillary layer 70 may be formed in the separate pieces shown in Fig. 5, or, it may be formed in one strip (see Fig. 5a) which is bent along itsmiddle 91 to fit in between the flanges 24 of shell sections 20. As indicated in Fig. 1, the lower portions of capillary material 18 are inserted into openings 26 of the shell, so the capillary layers 70 should be appropriately formed with tongues 89 to extend into these openings 26, and to receive section walls 30 and 32, as Well as to allow for the articulating movement of the shell required when the lubricator is inserted as indicated in Fig. 6. Suitable shapes are generally shown in Figs. 5 and 5a, wherein the blanket material is trimmed as at 93 and is slotted as at 95 for these purposes. Of course, appropriate stitching may be employed to fix the threads and fibers in place.

The layer 72 of the blanket in the embodiment of Fig. 7 comprises a layer of open cell foam rubber material applied to the undersurface of capillary layer 70, as by being foamed in place. Layer 72 may be a substance such as Hycar foam rubber 1552, made by the said B. F. Goodrich Company of Akron, Ohio.

This material 72 includes a multitude of open cells 97 (see 'Fig. 8) on its exterior surface, and most impor- .tant of. all, along the portion thereof that is bonded to thecapillary layer 70. During operation of the journal, excess lubricant tends to drip or be thrown from the journal on to the generally convex surfaces 100 of the capillary material (see Fig. 1) and then run back into the oil reservoir of the journal box. With the layer 72 applied to the capillary layer 70, the oil tends to collect in the individual open cells and thus a considerable amount of it remains adjacent the capillary material 70. As the journal moves up and down during travel of the railed vehicle, it bears against the capillary material orcompresses same with the result that the oil retained by the layer 72 is squeezed into the capillary layer and on to the journal. I have found that this materially increases the oil film that is applied to the journal.

The foam material preferably is provided with a solid skin 99 along the undersurface of layer 72 to seal off the porous part of layer 72 from the journal box oil reservoir. I

A modified form of blanket material is diagrammatically illustrated in Fig. 9 wherein the layer 72 of foam rubber is bonded to waste blanket material of the type described in my Patent No. 2,762,667, granted September 11, 1956; Generally speaking, this waste blanket material comprises layers 112 and 114 of carded waste needled to a woven carrier fabric 116 that includes a multiplicity of strands of high capillary action material. The layer 72 is applied directly to the under waste layer 114 in place of the adhesive described in said patent, as by being foamed in place.

Figs. 10, 11, and 12 illustrate another embodiment 121 of the invention applied to the journal box 10 and the shell 14, which includes among other things, helical springs mounted in each of these sections 20 of shell 14 and biasing the modified capillary blanket material 122 against the journal 11.

The springs 120 may be of any conventional type and the shell 14 may be formed with appropriate bosses or other structural elements conventionally used to center structures such as springs 120.

The blanket material 122 comprises a capillary layer 124 which in the illustrated embodiment is identical to the layer 70 (though the waste blanket material of Figure 9 could be used), and a backflow obstructing layer 126. In the embodiment of Figs. 10 through 12 the layer 126 is not bonded to the layer 124 and comprises a sheet 127 of rubber like material of the type from which the shell 14 and the cores 16 are made. Along itsupper surface the sheet 127 is formed with a plurality of indentations or recesses 128 that extend entirely across sheet 127; of course, this upper surface of sheet 127 forms the upper surface of the layer 126. As indicated in Fig. 10, the rubber like strip need only extend from the upper edge of the blanket material to a point 130 below the upper end of the springs 120.

The rubber strip forming layer 126 serves the same purpose as the layer 72 of foam rubber. Excess lubricant tending to drain back to the journal collects in the recesses 128, and when the journal presses against the blanket material, this oil is forced through the blanket material on to the journal to add to the film of oil thereon.

Fig. 19 illustrates an improved form of capillary material that may be used on the forms of the invention illustrated in Figs. 1 through 18 instead of the capillary material there illustrated. This capillary material comprises warp and woof yarns 142 and 144 woven into a plain basket weave; into this weave are woven capillary strands 146, each of which comprises a plurality of elongate untwisted fibers 148 enclosed in a fibrous jacket 150. The warp and woof threads 142 and 144 may comprise wool yarns, the individual lengths of which are crocheted to form the individual warp and woof strands of the basic basket weave. The jackets 150 may also be formed from wool yarn knitted or otherwise woven or sewn to enclose the individual bundles of fibers 148. The fibers 148 preferably extend the entire length of the capillary ma terial so that no break in the fiber lengths occurs between the ends of the fiber bundles. I have found that this arrangeme t greatly implementsthe lifting action of the capillary material 140. The fibers 148' may be formed from nylon. Altern'ately, each bundle may comprise 50 percent Vicara (containing 50 percent 80s wool) and 50 percent Caprolan plied yarn, in which case the jackets 150 may be eliminated. Caprolan is a product of Allied Chemical & Dye Corporation of New York, New York.

Assembly 'and' operation The various elements of the invention may be assembled to form thepacking 12 (or 121) in a manner referred to in connection with the embodiment shown in Fig. 5. The blanket material is positioned over the shell 14 in the manner indicated in Figs. 1 and 12 whereby the lower ends of the blanket strips are positioned between flanges 24: of. the shell sections and tongues 89 are inserted into spaces 26. These lower ends. of the blanket strips then may be: laced into place by applying suitable lacing 150, formed from nylon or a suitable cordage through the flanges 124 and the blanket ends. The cores 16 (or the springs 120) are positioned where necessary in the shell sections 20, and then the upper ends of the blankets are laced'ina similar manner: to flanges 28 as by appropriate lacing 152. The device is then ready for application to thejourhal box in the manner diagrammatically indicated in Fig. 6. As shownin Fig. 6, the lubricator 12 is compressedand. worked down. by the packer, the hand of the packer pressing the mid portion of each section of the package under the collar of the journal. As the packing ispressed into place, the sections 20 thereof articulate to permit the packing to ease in without undue bending and stretching with the consequent added insertion pressure required. The cores 16 or springs 120 compress and bend readily for this operation, and the blanket material is formed to permit the necessary movement required along the lower edges thereof. The packing should be pushed inwardly until it is positioned as indicated in Fig. 2.

Advantages of the invention The herein illustrated invention has a number of important and significant advantages.

First of all, the capillary blanket material provides the shortest possible capillary path from the lowest portion ofthe journal box; as the. blanket material lies substantially along, a straight line between the lowermost portion of' the journal and the portion of the journal that the blanket material contacts. This materially lessens the time for capillary feed to reach the journal, and of course, an'increased amount'of. lubricant is applied to the journal by'rea'son of the lessened. capillary distance. I The lubricant feed back or backflow obstructing layers of the blanket material enable the blanket material to catcha considerable portion of the surplus lubricant that drips or falls from the journal, and makes it possible to use the vertical motion of the journal as a means for squeezing the excessoil from the blanket material on to the journal. Referring to Figs. 1 and 10, it will be appreciated that the upper configuration of the packing is such that it will catch most of the surplus oil that leaves th'e'journal and this, together with the action of the backfiow obstructing layers of the capillary blankets, insures that the film of oil applied to the journal will be substantial;

Another important feature is the relatively'high rear wall'of the packing and its accordion pleat. As mentioned hereinbefore, the relatively high wall forms a dam for precludingthe flowing ofoil out of the journal box over the lips 48 of the rear journal box wall 46. The journaliduring its customary up. and down movement will frequently come into contact with the rear wall of the packing, but the pleat 38 permits this wall to be compressed without undue wear at this point. 7

A further very important feature of this lubricator i's'that reclamation of its" parts will be very easy. The shell1*4 need'only be washed in very simple equipment,

and the blanket materialv can be cleaned by' using conve'm tional bulk waste packing equipment.

An important improvement provided by my inven tion is that the relatively stiff shell 14, which is formed to conform to the shape of the bottom of the journal box, substantially reduces the pressure required to hold the blanket material against the journal. The shape of the shell and the material from which it is made, together with its engagement with the journal box insure-that shift-- ing and rolling are precluded. This means that the journal itself need not be relied on to hold the packing in place and that the only pressure applied to the journalby the packing is that required to hold the capillary material in lubricating position. Tests have shown that thisreduction of pressure against the journal materially low-- ers the operating temperature of the entire assembly.

The compartmentized shell 14 tends to collect lubricant in each of the sections 20 thereof about the tongues 89,- they dipping into the lowest level of the lubricant cellar. The walls 3G and 32 of the shell sections 20 form strengthening ribs that extend transversely of the lubricator, and resist rolling and shifting of the lubricator.

I have found that with the packing 10 it is extremely difiicult for a box packer to install the packing upside down or backwards. It has a very definite front end and rear end and would be very hard to install otherwise than as shown in Fig. 2.

If desired, the capillary portion of the blanketma'terial may be constructed so that it can be double sided, as in the embodiment of Fig. 10. However, the use of an inexpensive single sided applicator which may be discarded after its useful life 'is over will be found to behighlyacceptable.

The shell 14 may be adapted for use in journal boxes of types other than that shown by appropriatestru'ctural changes as necessary.

The foregoing description and the drawings are given merely to explain and illustrate my invention, and the invention is not to be limited thereto, except in so far as the appended claims are so limited, since those skilled in the art who have my disclosure before them will be able to make modifications and variations therein without departing from the scope of the invention.

I claim:

1. A journal box packing for a railroad car journal box, said packing comprising an upwardly'opening' shell having its longitudinal axis adapted to extend longitudi nally of the journal box, said shell being sectionalized into transversely extending compartments, said compartments' being articulated along the upper rim of the shell, capillary sheet means secured to said shell and adaptedto extend longitudinally of the journal box from the upper rim of the shell along both longitudinally extending; sides thereof to the longitudinal center-of said shell, resilient rneans interposed between said capillary means and said shell, and means for retarding the drainage of excess lubricant from said capillary means interposed between said capillary means and said resilient means.

2. A journal box packing for a journal box of the type including a front wall and a rear wall and that serves as a lubricant reservoir for lubricant that is to be lifted by the packing to the under surface of a journal that extends into the box, said packing comprising an upwardly opening shell formed from resilient lubricant resisting material and proportioned so that when inserted in the box it overlies the bottom of the journal box and extends from the rear wall thereof to thefront wall thereof, said shell including a rear wall dimensioned tobe of greater height than the journal box rear wall at the lowestipoint of'the latter when the packing is' inserted'in the box, sai'd'rear'wall of such shell being formed with an accordion pleat that, when the packing is' inserted in the box; extends lengthwise of saidshell rear wall and is adapted tofold and unfold under the vertic'almo-vement of the journal during operation thereof, said shell rear: wall including means for sealingly engaging the journal box rear wall when the packing is in operative position in the box, capillary means mounted in said shell, and resilient means interposed between said capillary means and said shell for biasing said capillary means into contact with the journal.

3. A journal box packing for a railroad car journal box of the type including a front wall and a rear wall and that serves as a lubricant reservoir for lubricant that is to be lifted by the packing to the under surface of a journal that extends into the box, said packing comprising an upwardly opening shell formed from a flexible lubricant impervious material, said shell being formed to extend longitudinally of the journal box and proportioned so that when inserted in the box it overlies the bottom of the box and extends from the rear wall thereof to the front wall thereof, said shell comprising a plurality of sections articulated along both longitudinally extending sides of the shell, said sections each being formed with a pair of spaced upwardly projecting flanges extending longitudinally of the shell and positioned adjacent the mid portion of the shell and a side flange along the inner surface of the upper rim of the shell along each side of each section, sheet type capillary means carried by each shell section and extending from said side flanges along each side of each section to said pair of upwardly projecting flanges of each section, said capillary means being secured to said flanges respectively, and resilient means interposed between said shell and said capillary means for biasing said capillary means into engagement with the journal when the packing is inserted in the box.

4. The journal box packing set forth in claim 3 wherein said resilient means comprises metallic spring means.

5. A journal box packing for a railroad car journal box of the type including a front wall and a rear wall and that serves as a lubricant reservoir for lubricant that is to be lifted by the packing to the under surface of a journal that extends into the box, said packing comprising an upwardly opening shell formed from a flexible lubricant impervious material, said shell being formed to extend longitudinally of the journal box when inserted therein and proportioned so that when inserted in said box it overlies the bottom of the journal box and extends from the rear wall thereof to the front wall thereof, said shell comprising a plurality of sections articulated along both longitudinally extending sides of the shell, said sections each including front and rear upwardly extending walls merging into the sidewalls thereof, resilient core means mounted in said shell and comprising a plurality of tubes extending longitudinally of the journal box when the packing is inserted therein and formed from resilient lubricant impervious material, said core means being formed with transversely extending slots to receive those of said section front and rear walls which it overlies, said core means resting on the floor of said shell, and capillary means overlying said core means and proportioned to extend between the floor of said shell and the journal when said packing is inserted in the box.

6. A journal box packing for a railroad car journal box of the type including a front wall and rear wall and that serves as a lubricant reservoir for lubricant that is to be lifted by the packing to the under surface of a journal that extends into the box, said packing comprising an upwardly opening shell formed from a resilient lubricant impervious material, said shell being formed to extend longitudinally of the journal box and proportioned so that when inserted in the box it overlies the bottom of the journal box and extends from the rear wall of the journal box to the front wall thereof, said shell comprising a plurality of sections articulated along both longitudinally extending sides of the shell, said sections each including front and rear upwardly extending walls merging into the sidewalls thereof and a'pairof upwardly projecting flanges extending longitudinally of the journal box when the packing is inserted therein, said upwardly projecting flanges being positioned adjacent the mid portion of the shell, a pair of resilient cores mounted on either side of said flanges and extending longitudinally of the packing, said cores each comprising a plurality of tubes extending longitudinally of the packing and formed from resilient lubricant resisting material and resting on the floor of the shell, and capillary means overlying said core means and proportioned to extend from between said flanges of each section to the journal when the packing has been inserted in operative position in the box.

7. A journal box packing for a journal box into which an axle journal extends, said packing comprising a fabric sheet including high lift capillary means proportioned to extend between the lubricant cellar of the journal box and the journal when the packing is inserted in operative position in the box, resilient means for biasing the upper portion of the sheet against the journal when the packing is inserted in the box, and means for retarding the drainage of excess lubricant from said capillary means interposed between said capillary means and said resilient means at least in the area of the upper portion of said sheet, said drainage retarding means comprising a layer of material formed with a plurality of upwardly opening pockets.

8. The journal box packing set forth in claim 7 wherein said drainage retarding means comprises a layer of open celled foam rubber-like material.

9. The journal box packing set forth in claim 7 wherein said drainage retarding means comprises a solid sheet of lubricant resisting flexible material formed with a plurality of upwardly opening recesses, said recesses comprising said pockets.

10. A journal box packing for a journal box into which an axle journal extends, said packing comprising fabric capillary means proportioned to extend between the lubricant cellar of the journal box and the journal when the packing is inserted in the box, resilient means for biasing the upper portion of the capillary means into engagement with the journal when the packing is inserted in the box, and means interposed between said capillary means and said resilient means for retarding during operation of the journal the drainage of excess lubricant from said capillary means, said capillary means comprising a fabric sheet including strands of high lift fibrous material proportioned to extend between the lubricant cellar of the journal box and the journal when the packing is inserted in the box, said sheet being formed with a carpet like applicator surface, said applicator surface being formed in the main by loops of said high lift fibrous material, said loops in the upper portion of said applicator surface being tightly stitched to said sheet at their bases whereby, during operation of the journal, and after the packing has been inserted in the box, the return of excess lubricant to the lubricant cellar through said sheet is obstructed.

11. The journal box packing set forth in claim 10 wherein supplementary strands of coarse fibrous material are interwoven into said sheet across said applicator surface and parallel to the first mentioned strands of high lift fibrous material.

12. The journal box packing set forth in claim 10 wherein said strands of high lift fibrous material are composed of yarns of relatively long fibers.

13. The journal box packing set forth in claim 10 wherein said strands of high lift fibrous material are composed of a plurality of unspun filaments enclosed in a fibrous jacket, with substantially all of said filaments being coextensive with the strands of which they form a part.

14. In a lubricating device for a railroad car journal box of the type in which the floor of the box serves as an oil reservoir and oil is lifted by the lub ricator to the undersurface of a car axle journal that extends into the box, said device comprising an upwardly opening vessellike shell formed from a resilient lubricant resisting ma terial and adapted to be inserted between the axle journal and the floor of the box, said shell being formed to generally conform in shape to the bottom of the box and to extend longitudinally thereof when inserted therein, said shell also being formed with a continuous rim along the longitudinally extending sides thereof, and comprising a plurality of separated vessel-like sections secured together along said rims, respectively, whereby said sections are articulately connected together to form said shell.

15. A journal box packing for a journal box into which an axle journal extends, said packing comprising fabric capillary means proportioned to extend between the lubricant cellar of the journal box and the journal when the packing is inserted in the box, resilient means for biasing the upper portion of the capillary means into engagement with the journal when the packing has been inserted in the box, and means for retarding the drainage of excess lubricant from said capillary means interposed between said capillary means and said resilient means, said capillary means comprising a fabric sheet including strands of high lift fibrousmaterialproportioned to extend between the lubricant cellar of the journal box and the journal when the packing has been inserted'in the box, said sheet being formed with a carpet-like applicator surface, said applicator surface being formed in the main by loops of said high lift fibrous material, said strands of high lift fibrous material being composed of a plurality of unspun filaments enclosed in a fibrous jacket, with substantially all of said filaments being coextensive with the strands of which they form a part.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Rockwell Sept. 24, 1957 

